Sports Express | September 5, 2026 - WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announces retirement

1. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announces retirement at year's end

Source: AP News

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Friday that she will retire at the end of the year, closing out a tenure of more than seven years at the helm of the league. She joined the league in 2019 after leaving her post as Deloitte's president, and during her tenure helped negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement this spring that produced the league's first million-dollar player salaries.

Under Engelbert, the WNBA saw rapid growth in TV ratings, attendance and franchise value, with the average franchise value climbing from $10 million in 2019 to about $460 million in 2026. The league also signed a new long-term media rights deal and plans to expand to 18 teams by the end of the decade.

That growth has come with controversy. Over the past year the league has been dominated by disputes over officiating, the transgender debate and social media backlash against players. Engelbert told the AP the decision to leave was hers alone and that she felt no pressure from NBA or WNBA stakeholders.

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2. Blue Jays claw back to .500 with win over Royals

Source: Sportsnet.ca

The Toronto Blue Jays routed the Kansas City Royals 9-2 on Friday to climb back to the .500 mark at 71-71. It was the first time the team has been level since June 22, and its seventh victory in nine games.

Toronto sits one game back of the Cleveland Guardians (72-70) for the American League's third wild-card spot and one game ahead of the Texas Rangers (70-72). The club had fallen to a season-worst 10 games under .500 on July 28, when its playoff odds dipped to 4.3 per cent.

The offence jumped out early Friday, with Ernie Clement capping a four-run first inning with a two-run double. However, starter Jameson Taillon left after two innings with right elbow discomfort and was set to undergo an MRI.

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3. Canucks sign Zeev Buium to eight-year extension

Source: NHL.com

The Vancouver Canucks signed defenceman Zeev Buium to an eight-year, $75.04 million contract extension on Friday. The deal carries an average annual value of $9.38 million and begins with the 2027-28 season.

The 20-year-old was the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and arrived in Vancouver in the Dec. 12 trade that sent Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. He had 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 45 games for the Canucks last season.

Buium was entering the final season of his three-year entry-level contract and could have become a restricted free agent. General manager Ryan Johnson said the deal is about where the club sees Buium in three to five years, while Buium said he wanted nothing other than eight years.

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4. USA routs China 94-61 as Clark sets World Cup record

Source: USA Today

The United States opened the FIBA Women's World Cup with a 94-61 rout of China in Berlin on Friday. The Americans have won four consecutive World Cup titles and have not lost a tournament game since 2006.

Caitlin Clark had a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists in 25 minutes off the bench in her World Cup debut, becoming the first player to record at least 10 assists with no turnovers in the Women's World Cup since FIBA began tracking assists in 1994. Paige Bueckers added 14 points in the second half.

China's 19-year-old center Zhang Ziyu, listed at 7-foot-4, scored 13 points with six rebounds and shot 9-for-10 from the free-throw line, causing problems for the U.S. interior. Head coach Kara Lawson praised her potential after the game.

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5. Former champ Andy Ruiz Jr. loses comeback to Damian Knyba

Source: BBC

Former world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. lost by unanimous decision to Poland's Damian Knyba in Newark, New Jersey, in his first fight in two years. The 36-year-old vowed afterward to carry on.

Ruiz shocked the boxing world seven years ago by beating Britain's Anthony Joshua for his world titles. But beset by injuries since losing the rematch to Joshua in December 2019, he was fighting for just the fourth time since. On Friday he was knocked down in the seventh round before ultimately losing.

The judges scored the fight 117-110, 114-113 and 114-113 in favour of Knyba, who improved to 18-1. Ruiz quickly demanded a rematch, arguing he was simply rusty from the long layoff.

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6. LSU leaves former pros Wright, Harris off opening-day roster

Source: AP News

LSU did not place one-time pros Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris on its roster in advance of its season opener, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Friday night. Both players spent time in NFL training camps this summer.

The move appears to avoid an immediate confrontation with the Southeastern Conference, which had passed a rule forbidding former pros on rosters only to see that rule put on hold by a court in Louisiana.

Both players have said they are enrolled at LSU, meaning they could still be added to the roster later. The SEC is planning an appeal of the Louisiana ruling and is awaiting word on a federal lawsuit it filed Thursday.

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7. Canada's Sarah Mitton takes silver at Diamond League Final

Source: CBC

Canada's Sarah Mitton finished second in the women's shot put at the Diamond League Final in Brussels on Friday, with her best throw of 20.64 metres coming on her first attempt, behind American Chase Jackson.

The 32-year-old Jackson won her third Diamond League Final with a best throw of 21.14 metres, setting an American, Diamond League and meet record along with a world-leading mark.

"How can you be upset to lose to one of the best throws since 2013?" Mitton said. World champion Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands placed third with 20.57 metres.

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8. Alouettes rally past Lions 37-30 to clinch playoff spot

Source: The Globe and Mail

The league-leading Montreal Alouettes rallied in the second half to beat the B.C. Lions 37-30 in front of 22,752 fans at Percival Molson Stadium on Friday night. Montreal outscored the Lions 30-18 in the final two quarters for a seventh straight home win.

The victory made Montreal (10-2) the first team to clinch a playoff berth and assured the Alouettes of hosting a post-season game this fall. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 25 of 34 passes for 297 yards and threw his 25th touchdown pass of the season.

Tyler Snead scored a pair of touchdowns for Montreal. The Lions (6-6) saw their five-game winning streak snapped, as quarterback Nathan Rourke went 31-for-45 for 375 yards with two touchdowns and a costly interception.

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9. Bombers, Riders fans trade jabs over 'Regina-style' pizza

Source: Global News

The annual trash talk between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders is heating up ahead of Sunday's Labour Day Classic — and this year it's all about pizza.

The Bombers reiterated a three-year-old statement on social media Tuesday: "honestly, Regina-style pizza is terrible." After three years of "reflecting," the team said its opinion is unchanged — and "worse than we ever thought."

Regina resident, Riders fan and content creator Marina Rubina said she was angry and shocked when she saw the post, and responded with a video of her own. The Labour Day Classic kicks off Sunday at 5 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium, with the Roughriders (7-4) second in the West and Winnipeg (6-5) just behind.

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10. No. 9 Oklahoma blanks UTEP 51-0 in season opener

Source: The Oklahoman

The ninth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners blanked UTEP 51-0 on Friday night, scoring on their first eight drives and totalling 401 yards in a nearly flawless season opener.

Quarterback John Mateer completed 11 of 17 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns. New running back Lloyd Avant rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown, while Isaiah Sategna III added an 88-yard punt-return touchdown.

The Sooners' defence held UTEP to under 200 total yards, compiling four sacks and forcing two turnovers. OU (1-0) has won 21 straight home openers and next visits No. 16 Michigan on Sept. 12.

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